And a very happy Friday to you. I've been rehearsing all week as I gear up for the first leg of The Human Jukebox Project tour. You're all invited, should you find yourself in Berlin - shoot, you're invited no matter what.

Be nice to everybody.

I guess that's not such a revelation. Let me try that again:

Be nice to everybody. Not just your boss, or your mentor, or the HR director. Everybody.

I'm pretty lucky when it comes to "networking." I'm a naturally social person, and meeting new people comes easily to me. (And I'm triple lucky in that I'm not particularly intimidated by Men with Fancy Titles.)

When talking about Professional Networking, you get a lot of advice on how to network UP. How to climb the connections ladder. How to buddy up to your manager's manager.

But you know where I spend most of my social time? Hanging out with my smart peers. And you know what's funny? A lot of my smart peers are already becoming my smart business contacts.

I'm not talking about strategizing your social life. I'm really not. I'm talking about taking a wide-angle lens to your personal and professional life. There's no use in being mean or burning bridges in the heat of the moment. Three years from now, you and that ex-colleague may really need each other. Five years from now, you may wish you'd kept in touch with your old college roommate who now seems to be a hiring manager at Google.

So, be nice. Be interested, even when there's nothing in it for you. Be nice to the other entry-level staff in your department. Be nice to the interns.Support your friends. It's as simple as it sounds. People like to help people who are nice. And people really like to help people who are friendly without motive.